The shallow lake habitats that are home to Andean highland flamingos, which include Andean, Chilean, and James’ flamingos, are increasingly used for mining lithium and other human activities.

Lithium is the key metal in manufacturing batteries for personal electronics, electric vehicles, and other devices. Mining for this metal, especially in the Lithium Triangle of South America’s Andean highlands, negatively impacts the surrounding habitats, reduces water levels, and disturbs wildlife, like flamingos.

As demand for electronic devices grows, mining activity increases, threatening the ecosystems that are home to flamingos.